Butler Wobble

Both days the Y is closed. If you get a uni over the holidays, you can show it off January 7th, 2012. It's also a good time to kick off those New Year's resolutions. Unicycle yourself into better shape!

There are many disciplines with in the unicycling community. North American Unicycling Convention and Competition (NAUCC or “Nationals”) are held every year and there are competitions in the various disciplines at each NAUCC event. Nationals are a great way to see how the various disciplines work and meet others who love to ride their unis. It’s also an amazing learning experience, as sometimes the best way to learn a new trick is to watch others and ask them how they learned it. The Butler Wobble - that’s what we call ourselves - will be attending again in 2012. Nationals in 2012 will be July 10-15 in Saline, MI. Saline’s only 4 ½ hours away! Mark you calendars now! Beginners are welcome in all events. There are age groups for everyone. Because UNICON (World’s) is also in the summer of 2012, this year’s Nationals may be less heavily attended - which will be great for new riders! There is a registration fee for competiiors. It’s not too expensive, usually around $100. So, s...

We'll be indoors at the Butler Y today (and almost every other Saturday) from 4:30-6:30! Come enjoy the light, heat, and

What a perfect day to ride a uni. Thank a Veteran. Reminder: No Y time tomorrow. Unfortunately, a regular basketball tournament has the gym. Now, if it were a unicycle basketball tournament, that would be awesome. Next Saturday we're at the Y again. Also, thanks to the 9 new learners who showed up last week!

This Saturday, November 12th, there will be a basketball tournament at the Y so the gyms will be closed. There will be NO UNICYCLING CLUB! We're looking forward to seeing everyone again on the 19th from 4:30-6:60pm. Last week we had a great turn out and are looking forward to the possibilities this year! If you're still on the fence about learning - come out and watch! Riding's a ton of fun. If you're on Facebook - look up the Butler Wobble and request to join the group. It's a great, quick way to stay in touch and find out what we're up to.

Hey everybody! it's nate! Dave, Isaac, and I just finished up our first race of the Month of Mud season. I'll admit that I was dreading the task, having been a bit of a slacker, missing many opportunities to ride this year. Dave says the better shape you're in, the more fun cycling is. Fortunately, unicycling is a fun way to get into shape. I don't know anyone that regrets going out for a ride once they get out there. The thing about Month of Mud is that it is a great atmosphere for anyone who wants to challenge themselves. Mountain bikers are always welcoming to new riders, and are especially impressed by anyone on a uni. Brady's run itself is a tough course with plenty of extended climbs, which is why Isaac and I have avoided it in the past. We enjoyed most of the race riding neck and neck, passing each other only when one of us would get hung up on on a root. Its been good to see how much Isaac has improved over the last year. He certainly gave me a run for my mo...

There has been some discussion as to what we've been up to lately. We've been playing outside. You're welcome to join us. Thursday evenings, around 6:30-7pm, we've been spotted at Ritz Park in Butler. The park has tennis courts and a basketball court that we use for practicing skills. We use the grass, gravel road and small trail for beginner off road practice. It's a good little park to practice uphill and downhill and mixed terrain. Especially for the beginner who wants to try all those things but is intimidated by the traffic on the road or the difficulty of you standard mountain bike trail. On that note, if you are a beginner and working on any new skill, don't be intimidated by our skills...we love watching and helping others learn new skills. We are always willing to lend a shoulder or arm (It's called "being a post" or just "post") - should free mounting be what's holding you back from practicing other skills. BTW, the tennis ...

July was good for the Butler Wobble. The Parades went well. Unfortunately a software compatibility issue wouldn't let Dave's iPod edit and share the video from the Emlenton parade. It was quite the experience. Next year, you'll have to join us to find out! If you read the banner above this entry, you'll see we're expanding our regular ride schedule. That's a result of some brainstorming sessions and conversations we had at NAUCC 2011 . We want YOU to join us. Unicycling is fun and for everyone. Speaking of joining us: we're looking to keep things even more up to date. The blog will have most of the info on it, but we've also opened a Butler Wobble Unicyclists group on facebook. It is a closed group, but we can get you in. We hope to be able to get more rides organized this way- and share more pictures. Can't ride yet? You've got options. We'll be back at the Butler Y on Saturdays from 4:30-6:30pm starting November 5th. If you can...

In order: July 4th Monroeville with Chas and Pro Bikes and Kids! We meet at Pro Bikes Monroeville at 8am. If that's too far to ride your uni, meet at Lisa and Dave's at 7am and we'll carpool. Parade starts at 9am. July 8th: Downtown Butler Ride. Meet at the usual spot- in the parking lot across from Pizza Joe's (and those crazy cool bike/uni racks.) Rumor has it that the Butler Eagle will be taking pictures and doing a story on downtown rides. 36" unis especially welcome! July 9th: Emlenton parade. See the blog post below for details. Check the Fat Tire Challenge homepage for a couple of write ups on the June 18th race in Sigel. Scroll down and click the links. The unicycle article is also on the Post-Gazette site- specifically here . A HUGE thanks to Shannon (PG) and Liz (JCN) for covering the race. Thanks for not making us out to be a bunch of clowns!

June 11th Autism Benefit at Mazzanti's: Isaac makes it look easy. Rick has only been riding since last winter! He's be become quite the climber and uses his uni a lot. Yes, we were allowed to ride around the car show! June 18th Fat Tire Challenge in Sigel (earlier I mistakenly said Brookville): We had 6 in the Uni Class (an off road record for at least Western PA!). In the pic are: Claude, Isaac, Andy, Connor, Dave, and Buzz. 7.78 mi of good racing times. Look for a race writeup (including some uni info) in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this coming Saturday (the 25th). Thanks Shannon in advance for the article! You might not recognize Claude, Connor, or Buzz. They aren't from around here. Claude made the trip from Germantown, MD; Connor from near Erie, PA; and Buzz from Rochester, NY. Good times. An especially huge THANK YOU goes out to Michael and Mindy White for being the race organizers who were completely willing to not only accept, but embrace the concept of MUn...

Last Saturday was the Butler-Freeport Trail ride. Andy and Dave rode 36ers. Nate, Issac, and Brent rode bikes. 40+ miles of good times with a pizza stop in the middle and a Slurpee stop at the end. This next weekend (11th-12th): Muni. Saturday will probably be very local and Sunday we'll look to head out for a drive to the start. Also, we may be at Mazzanti's Beans and Cream for the car cruise/ Autism benefit on Saturday afternoon. Want to join us?

First item of business, ride. You will be able to find us all over the region in June. June 4th we will be joining with our biking brethren for the inaugural Butler-Freeport rail trail ride. Although this won't be the first time it's been ridden, it will be the first time the trail is DONE! 45 miles of goodness round trip. You don't have to do the whole thing, but if you want to- pack a 36er (or Schlumpf) and we'll start from Butler at 9am. We'll do the downtown ride the night before (6pm) if anyone wants to make a weekend of it. We were originally going to muni all over that weekend, but the rail trail ride is too important. We can still ride on Sunday this weekend, but it will be a bit less formal than the next bit. MUni weekend has moved to the 10th-12th. Muni, polo, maybe some trials. More details to follow. You won't want to miss it! The 18th is the Fat Tire Challenge in Brookville, PA. Check the entry form- there's a UNI CLASS!!! Lots of ridi...

Outside riding. Reminder- next Saturday (the 30th) is the last day we'll be in the Y until October or November. After we wrap up at 6:30, we'll be heading to Pizza Joe's- so bring some dough and get some dinner! We have been going to Father Marinaro Skatepark most Thursday nights to ride, but it isn't always a definite. It's best to contact us if you plan on heading out. Honestly, we're itching to play some polo. We do that at other locales around Butler subject to court availability. One thing we can say: Some of us will be headed to Madison, WI the last week of July for the North American Unicycle Championships and Convention . Saying it's amazing is an understatement. If you go, you will come back a better rider. If you don't, we'll refund your unicycling at the Y fees.

Friday, April 15th is not only tax day, but it is also Healthy Kids Day at the Y from 3-6 pm. Several of us will be there. Join if you like. Saturday the 16th we will be packing it in just a bit early. We'll be done a bit before 6pm instead of the usual 6:30. It's a Steel City Derby Demons roller derby night and some of us are going! Even though they've got a lot more wheels than we do, it's a ton of fun to watch. If you want in, buy your tickets in advance because they'll sell out. Saturday the 30th will be the last day for riding at the Y until October or November. Keep checking back here for where we'll be riding, but you'll need to bring your own uni. We won't be providing loaners. Thursdays seem to be the gathering days for Father Marinaro Skatepark. We're there 6:30pm or so until close. Once again, bring your own uni (and protective gear!).

From now until the end of April, you can learn to unicycle for free Saturday afternoons at the Butler Y. 4:30-6:30pm in gym 1. At the end of April, we'll be done indoors until October or November. You can still learn to ride, but you're on your own as far as unicycles go. We won't be taking loaners outside. Trials/Street night at Father Marinaro is still in flux. When we settle, we'll get the info up here. We're probably looking at Thursdays or Wednesdays, but in spite of the calendar the weather hasn't been cooperating too much lately. All the more reason to join us at the Y!

Yes. 2 Versions of the 3/26/11 Pre Y Ride: 1. Nate's: So what if it’s a little cold outside? The sun is shining and that makes perfect weather for mUni riding. You’d be surprised how easily you stay warm when you’re pumping a unicycle through the mud and how quickly you’ll progress with the encouragement of a few other riders. That’s what Dave, Andy, Nate, Tony, and Isaac did this past Saturday. Andy had some interesting challenges for mUni Trials; you should check ‘em out: (Video courtesy of Dave, Andy, and Isaac- and Dave's iPod) (Note: change the resolution to 720p for best results) 2. Isaac's: The First Butler Wobble Group Muni Ride of the Spring Season. Saturday the 26th of March dawned with a beautiful clear sky and crisp cool air as 5 of the Butler Wobble's more skilled and adventurous riders converged on the Butler Little Theater parking lot to start the first group Muni ride of the spring season. As the first couple of riders arrived we occupied ourselve...

We're still practicing at the Y on Saturdays from 4:30-6:30pm. There's no better time to learn than now. It looks like the weather will be taking a turn for the better and soon we'll be hitting up Father Marinaro skatepark to ride Western PA's only public (and free to boot!) uni trials course. We'll post when that definitely happens, but you'll want to be ready. If you've been wanting to join us to learn unicycling, the time is now. When attendance drops off at the Y towards the end of April we'll put Saturdays on hold until the Fall. Don't miss out! -Especially since Polo season is coming.

We've heard it's been said that 10 hours is the average time it takes to learn to ride a unicycle, but we've found with this crew it's been a lot less. It seems that having others around who are working towards the same goal has accelerated the learning process. About half the riders in the video are at the 6 hour mark or less. Join us at the Butler Y on Saturdays through April. 4:30-6:30pm. Sign a waiver and wear a helmet. We have extra loaner unis if you need one for the day!

Another (relatively) quick video on unicycling basics. This time it's about choosing a unicycle. There's a lot more information out there on the topic, and as always, come join us for a ride and we can talk shop! Yes, we will be riding this Saturday since we haven't been invited to perform at halftime during Sunday's Superbowl.

Here's the first in a series of (somewhat) instructional videos. They'll all be free. You'll get a little more than you pay for. Upon review, there were a lot of details left out. The big idea we went for is that falling off a unicycle won't (most likely) kill you. Catch up with us Saturdays at the Y.

Last Saturday was the first Y unicycle gathering of 2011. We were down a few regulars, but up 6 first time riders! They all practiced hard and made a lot of progress towards being able to ride. We've been thinking for a while how to ride locally and encourage globally so we're launching an informational series about - you guessed it- unicycles. (Are you actually surprised?) If you're looking for a bunch of extreme riding synced to hip soundtracks you'll probably be disappointed. We're going with a more documentary style approach that will attempt to put all things unicycling in one spot without a lot of extra frills (for now). Here's a quick preview: If your interest is piqued, join us Saturdays from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at the Butler Y.